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Part One: Fall Chapter Six

Saturday, October 17th

When the town, Bethwood, was first built it was only five streets long and six streets wide with only one street that drove through the center that led in and out of the town. Along the center of the center road were an assortment of rest stop and diners. A small park is home to a small statue of the founder, located in the core of Bethwood. As the town grew it was made sure that the statue stayed the heart of the town. Businesses changed hands and as the town grew so did its business center. Of course the town is still small and from the outer edges it only took a half hour to walk to the park.

Raivis watched his master with intense inquisitiveness. He'd recently come up with the conclusion that something really good must have happened to him. Ever since yesterday, Ivan had been more cheerful than normal. He was always humming some sort of tune, the ecstatic grin never leaving his face. He'd even offered to help Raivis carry the groceries home. Usually Raivis, who liked to go shopping early as so to beat the crowd, would have to delay his trip or only buy a quarter of the things they needed. This morning Ivan had barged into his room at five in the morning to offer his service.

They were walking towards town's center. Well Ivan was doing some cross between skipping and shuffling and Raivis was trotting along behind him. The late morning air was still had traces of the cold night air. A few stray clouds floated lazily across the sky. A soft breeze ruffled through their hair, carrying the scent of burning firewood. The sun that fell on them warmed their backs. All in all it was a rather nice fall day. Raivis was so distracted by the weather that he hadn't noticed Ivan had stopped until he'd run into his back.

"M-Mr I-Ivan?" he asked leaning to the side to see why he'd stopped short. At the bottom of the small hill they were standing a top was a garden or what he assumed was a garden. It was lined by short shrub like bushes. To one corner were a few pumpkins still attached to the vine. A few stubborn flowers were scattered about inside. To the far corner there were people working. Raivis still wasn't sure why this had made him stop until he noticed a mop of silver hair. Gilbert. Tenderly, he nudged Ivan forward. "A-A-Aren't y-y-y-you going to say h-hi?"

"But, what if he ignores me? He only talked to me in school yesterday because I didn't talk to him for a week." So that's why he was so strangely chipper. Now though the smile was gone from his face and voice. He didn't know how to answer back to that. Fortunately he didn't have to. As he was trying to search for the right words to boost the bigger man's self esteem, Gilbert had just to look for Francis in that direction and had glimpsed the duo on the hill.

"Hey!" he hollered up at them. "Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna come down and say hi?" The grin rematerialized on Ivan's face. Needing nothing more, he headed down the slope of the hill to greet him. Raivis scampered along behind him, making sure he was hidden by his bulky mass. He'd seen the frightfully familiar blond ponytail of the senior who had held him hostage in the library weeks ago.

"Hello!" Ivan said enthusiastically. One silver brow rose at the taller boy's enthusiasm. Red eyes traveled down to the shaking form behind him. He studied the boy for a moment. Ash blond hair that curled in around his face. Cheeks that still had yet to lose their childish roundness. Purple, large, doe eyes that avoided his gaze. He concluded that this was the boy Francis had been rambling about before deciding to ignore him. If he wasn't going to say hi, the he wouldn't waste his awesomeness on him.

"Mon Cherie, I've found the hammer!" Francis announced popping up beside the albino, waving his findings.

"We weren't looking for the hammer," he stated.

"No? I could've sworn!" but his attention was already directed to the two boys on the other side of the hedge. He eyed Ivan warily, thrown off by how much he looked like a little kid who'd just received a cookie and a pat on the head. The scarf hung around his neck, the ends thrown into the light sweatshirt he wore. His gaze traveled further down, catching a tuff of blond hair as it tried to move out of his vision. "Ah~ Papillon," he said leaning over the bush to get closer to Raivis, who yelped and moved to the other side of Ivan.

"Don't bully him, you dirty pervert!" a voice said as a book was bashed into Francis's head, causing him to fall over the bush. Heads whipped towards the source. A huffing Lovino stood over Francis's stunned body. He scowled at the Frenchman. "Rotten perv!" he spat. Gilbert rocked back on his heels, clutching his sides in laughter. Raivis decided he didn't want to be near the other man and inched around him to continue on to the grocery store, breaking out into a sprint when Francis jumped up and insisted he accompany the younger.

"Damn dirt bag! Get back here and leave the kid alone!" Lovino shouted racing after them.

"Where's everyone going?" Antonio asked peering over at the distant blurbs of their friends. "I just got the shovels," he held them up, "I thought we were moving the flowers in now."

"We are. Ivan's going to help us," Gilbert stated fixing the Russian with a smirk.

"Help with what?" he asked.

"My awesome idea!" he said, facing brightening with pride. Taking a shovel from Antonio he thrust it at Ivan. "We built a small greenhouse over my part of the garden and we're gonna move the sunflowers in to see if they'll stay alive all year!" He explained as Ivan made his way into the garden through the little space. He halted at the word sunflower. This was the second time he'd mentioned his favorite flower. Remembering the present, that sat dried out on his dresser, he asked;

"Why a sunflower?"

"Because that's the only flower that was still alive when the idiot came up with the plan," Antonio answered and Gilbert punched him in the arm. Ivan frowned a bit, that's not what he wanted to know. The boys made their way through the mostly deceased garden, passing the small green building that was their makeshift green house. Ivan listened intently as Gilbert went on about how he'd come up with the idea and how they'd found the material in Antonio's garage. Apparently, the Spaniard's garage was filled with strange things.

They decided to move only two into the hut due to the lack of space inside and Gilbert still wanted to be able to hang out in there whenever he wanted. Digging up the plants and re planting them hadn't taken very long, it was the fact that Antonio had accidently tossed some dirt onto Gilbert that had launched the trio into a full out dirt war. At some point the albino had grabbed the hose and dirt soon turned into mud. In the end they ended up having to dig up four sunflowers because they kept slipping on the dirt and crushing the flowers.

When it was all done they collapsed on the back porch of Antonio's house. The sun warming their faces and drying their muddy clothes. They lay there in total silence, not because they had nothing to say but because it was comfortable and Ivan found it was a silence he enjoyed profusely. Usually any silence that surrounded him was awkward or cold, meant to push him away. This silence drew him in and warmed his insides. The steady melody of breath was broken by the loud growl of his stomach. The other two laughed.

"I've got some tapas inside, you want some?" Antonio asked when his laughter subsided.

"Yes, please," he answered hesitantly as the brunette rose. He wasn't used to people, other than Raivis, offering food to him to satisfy his needs.

"Hey! Can you get some of those churros you promised earlier?" Gilbert shouted as the screen door slammed shut leaving them alone together. They fell back into the comfortable silence but for some reason it wasn't good enough for Ivan any more. He rolled over onto his side to look at Gilbert, who tried to ignore his stare. Ivan watched as the tips of the other's ears began to pinking along with the base of his neck.

Red eyes slid to the corner to glare at the blond. He opened his mouth, no doubt the cuss Ivan out on his staring, but Ivan beat him to it. "Why a sunflower?" he asked. The other boy's eyebrows furrowed at the question, red eyes sliding back to look at the sky. The sun was in the sky directly above them but a massive cloud was idly moving over it, making the boys shiver.

"Antonio already told you…"

"No, when we first met. Why did you give me a sunflower?"

Gilbert shrugged, eyes still glued back to the shadowy sky. "Just felt like it. Why did you enjoy my awesome gift?" a smirk quirked the edges of his mouth.

"Da, it's my favorite flower." Gilbert didn't look surprised. "Gilbert?" Ivan called. He suddenly wanted to catch the older boy's attention. He wanted those bloody eyes to turn and meet his. To look at him.

"What?" he snapped.

"Would you be my friend?" Now Gilbert really did turn to look at him. Ivan resisted the urge to fidget as Gilbert seized him up. That strange thing in his chest started to hammer against his ribs. His palms becoming increasingly sweaty. Why was he getting so nervous? Gilbert wouldn't reject him, would he? He'd said he thought Ivan was interesting but he's also stated that he thought he was creepy and weird. What if being interesting just wasn't enough for him. When he did open his mouth to answer, Ivan felt himself flinching in wait for the response was hoping wouldn't come.

"Someone help me with the door!" Antonio called through the screen. He was balancing two plates of food on one arm, his other was wrapped around three glasses brimming to the edge with lemonade. Gilbert scrambled up to assist his friend leaving Ivan with the sensation of disappointment, a feeling he was well accustomed too. "Here you go!"Antonio grinned holding a plate out to Ivan. Ivan smiled, sat up, and took the food but didn't eat it.

"Aren't you hungry?" Gilbert asked settling down next to Ivan again with his own plate. Ivan didn't answer. "Well you should eat it. Antonio's food is awesome and he made it just for you!" Feeling like a scolded child, Ivan picked up a piece of food and ate it absently. He guessed it was good because he kept reaching for more but he couldn't really taste anything.

"Mon Cherie, I'm back did you miss me?" Francis cried his arms reaching out to pull Gilbert into a huge, who struggled. "You're all wet! You know, Ludwig would be very angry if he popped by and saw you in these wet clothes. Let's get you out of them!" he said a hand sliding under Gilbert's red shirt. With a brisk movement he had the shirt over his head.

"The fuck, Francis!" he shouted jumping up. Pale arms encircling his bare chest. His leg came up and smashed into the blonde's head sending him falling into Ivan. The jolt had Ivan releasing his plate so his food went flying, falling onto an unexpected Raivis who had just walked out. If possible purple eyes got even wider. Tan arms pulled Francis up off of Ivan.

"What the hell did you do now, perv?" Lovino growled into his face.

"Lovi, what makes you think it was me?" he asked fringing innocence.

"Because everything is your fault!" Ivan got up from his seat and herded the shocked Raivis into the house. Gilbert had already made it into the house and was now tugging a dry shirt over his head. He had changed into what was obviously a pair of Antonio's pants for they hung dangerously low on his hips and pooled on the floor under his feet.

"Do you want to change?" Antonio asked coming up behind Gilbert.

"No, thank you. We'll be heading home now, da?" he said throwing him a smile, all a while pushing Raivis to the door. He wanted to leave. He'd been rejected and he didn't want to stay while everyone else was having a good time.

"You need help with the groceries?" Gilbert asked. Ivan shook his head no but Raivis accepted the help, saying it had taken all three of them to carry the bags here. "Cool. Tell Ludwig I'm at Ivan's when he comes by and make sure he waits here!" he shouted to the others as he headed for the front door where the bags were lined along the front porch. He bent down and grabbed three, leaving two for Raivis and four for Ivan. Ivan led the way back to the house, leaving Gilbert to converse with his antsy housekeeper.

"Holy Shit!" The trio was standing outside of the tall iron gates that led to their house. Raivis had set down his bags and was fishing through his pocket for the key to the iron padlocks. When he couldn't find it, he turned a worried face to Ivan, who sighed and produced his key. Raivis took it with shaking hands and unlocked the gate, pushing it open. Gilbert stood stock still, his chin resting on the newly paved driveway. Through the trees he could just make out the shadow of a monstrous house. He'd never known anybody to own a house that big.

"You're fucking rich!" he accused. Ivan didn't say anything, only readjusted his bags before continuing up the way. "He's rich?" he said again, following the two boys through the gates. Raivis nodded to the question. The Braginski family was a very wealthy family. They had their hands in the biggest companies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. No one knew exactly what their roles in the various companies were but whatever it was it earned them a lot of cash. It was also the reason Ivan barely saw his parents; they were always traveling in Europe.

Inside the house, Gilbert was once again subject to realize just how rich Ivan was. When you first walk in it's a bit of a cozy place for you to take your shoes off and a room off to the side for your coat. Then it widens out, the ceiling going up to a glass roof. Hanging from which was a very elegant chandelier. In the center of the room was a long staircase that curved to the side. To the left the opening to the living room, in which Gilbert spied a colossal flat screen TV. To the right were two openings, on to the kitchen the other to the dining room.

Setting in the bags in the overly large kitchen, it was as bigger as his room back home and he'd cheated Ludwig out of the master bedroom, Gilbert bolted to the living room. Ivan followed, semi curious as to what the older boy was doing. Ivan was very puzzled by Gilbert's reaction to the house. He'd never invited anyone except Yao to his house, who had a house that was pretty much the same size. He'd never been in anyone's house till today so he couldn't understand why Gilbert was so amazed. It was a house. Very lonely and seemingly to cold at every point of the year, but still his home.

"Do you have any video games?" Gilbert asked his head shoved into one of the cabinet draws under the TV. It was empty, Ivan knew. The furniture was just for show. To who he had no clue. Gilbert pulled back, his lower lip pushing out in a pout; until he spotted another place Ivan could potentially store games.

"I don't have any video games," Ivan answered. Gilbert scowled, his eyes briefing over the grandfather clock before his eyes settled on Ivan. They widened with panic.

"Oh shit! West is going to kill me!" he said moving out of the room and back to the front door. At first Ivan was confused about who West was but then recalled that Ludwig had referred to his brother as East many times. He didn't know the origin of the nickname, Ludwig never told anyone. Ivan followed his guest back to the front door and couldn't help but smile as he fumbled his shoes on. Shoes on the albino reached for the door than stopped. "Hey," he turned towards the other, "can I come back later with some games?" he asked. Ivan could only nod. Gilbert shot him a grin before disappearing out of the house.

True to his word, Gilbert was back three hours later, a bag full of games, a reluctant brother and Feliciano in tow. He made himself right at home in front of the huge television while Ludwig mumbled apologies to Ivan and Feliciano trotted off into the kitchen to find a preoccupied Raivis. Ivan and Ludwig followed Gilbert into the living room and sat down on the couch. "You wanna play?" Gilbert asked him after an hour of beating the snot out of Ludwig. Ivan shook his head no. He was quite content to watch the brothers play.

It was quite comical, actually. Ludwig would get frustrated with his brother's far superior skill and start trash talking him in German, or at least Ivan suspected it was trash talking by the way Gilbert would laugh and catch his brother in a head lock, all a while telling him "Those are some nasty words, West." Than repeat a curse or two. Ludwig would try to push his brother off, causing them to end up rolling across his floor in a mock wrestling tournament. Then they'd both lose whatever game they were playing.

At five they were called into the dining room by Raivis and Feliciano. The dining room table was set and loaded with various Russian dishes, although in the center was a large plate of spaghetti. The German brothers let out a groan at the sight of the pasta dish, but Ivan was intrigued. He'd never eaten spaghetti before. It was by far the best dinner Ivan had in a long time. The chatter of voices was full of loud joy and continuous laughter. He hadn't been subject to one of these since his sisters moved out. Much to his dismay it all seemed to end to quickly and the boys decided it was time to head home.

"Hey, Ivan," Gilbert said. He was standing in the doorway, his bag of games slung over his shoulder. "On Halloween, Francis always throws a party at our place" Ivan knew this. He'd heard about it many times but never went. In fact he didn't go to any parties. They were just another place where he was to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else be close. Plus, he didn't like leaving Raivis home alone. The one time he had brought Raivis they'd both learned he had a love for Vodka, even if he couldn't hold his liquor.

"Anyway, he always invites a bunch of people, but I only invite my most awesome friends." His smug smirk worked its way onto his face. "So anyway I'm officially inviting you Ivan Braginski! You'd better show up."

"You're invited to Ravi!" Feliciano shouted from behind Gilbert. Raivis blushed. "And don't forget to wear a costume!" Gilbert rolled his eyes at the Italian's last comment.

"Bye," he said to Ivan before heading out to Ludwig's car. Ivan was unable to move from his spot. A large grin slowly breaking on his face as he reviewed Gilbert's words. He'd called him his friend. He called Ivan Braginski, the monster, his friend without any trace of fear or cautiousness.

A/N: I have just realized that Gilbert is a tiny bit smaller, okay a lot smaller than he's supposed to be. Opps it's too late to change it now. And you should thank Lucrecia84, JaaJaa, The Second Side of Happiness, Evil Italy and, a () for reviewing and bringing you this extra chapter! The next one will be of course, the Halloween party. Although I'm having some difficulty getting a costume for Ivan. If you have any suggestion tell me PLEASE!

Oh and REVIEW!